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SpongeBob SquarePants (season 4)
| last_aired = | episode_list = List of SpongeBob SquarePants episodes }} The fourth season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by former marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, aired on Nickelodeon from May 6, 2005 to July 24, 2007, and contained 20 episodes (38 segments), beginning with the episode "Fear of a Krabby Patty"/"Shell of a Man". The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was executive produced by series creator Hillenburg, while writer Paul Tibbitt acted as the supervising producer and showrunner. The show underwent a hiatus on television as Hillenburg halted the production in 2002 to work on the film adaptation of the series, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Once the film was finalized and the previous season had completed broadcast on television, Hillenburg wanted to end the show, but the success of the series led to more episodes, so Tibbitt took over Hillenburg's position as showrunner and began working on a fourth season for broadcast in 2005. Hillenburg remained with the show, but in a smaller advisory role in which he reviewed each episode and offered suggestions to the show's production crew. The show itself received several recognition, including the three Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Cartoon from 2005 to 2007. "Fear of a Krabby Patty" and "Shell of a Man" were nominated at the 57th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour). It also received a nomination for "Bummer Vacation" and "Wigstruck" at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards for the same category. Several compilation DVDs that contained episodes from the season were released. The SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 4, Volume 1 and 2'' DVDs were released in Region 1 on September 12, 2006 and January 9, 2007, respectively, while the complete set was released in Region 2 on November 3, 2008 and Region 4 on November 7, 2008. On November 13, 2012, ''The Complete Fourth Season DVD was released in Region 1. Production The season aired on Nickelodeon, which is owned by Viacom, and was produced by United Plankton Pictures and Nickelodeon. The season's executive producer was series creator Stephen Hillenburg. In 2002, Hillenburg and the show's staff members decided to stop making episodes to work on the 2004 film The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, after completing the third season. As a result, the show went into a two-year "self-imposed" production hiatus. During the break on television, Nickelodeon expanded the programming for the third season to cover the delay, however, according to network executive Eric Coleman, "there certainly was a delay and a built-up demand." Nickelodeon announced nine "as-yet-unaired" episodes would be shown during the break. Once the production on the film was completed, Hillenburg wanted to end the series "so the show wouldn't jump the shark", but Nickelodeon wanted more episodes produced. Hillenburg said "Well, there was concern when we did the movie 2004 that the show had peaked. There were concerns among executives at Nickelodeon." Hillenburg resigned as the series' showrunner, and appointed Paul Tibbitt, who previously served as a writer, director, and storyboard artist of the show, to overtake the role. Hillenburg considered Tibbitt one of his favorite members of the show's crew, and "totally trusted him". Tibbitt still helmed the showrunner position, until October 2015 when Vincent Waller and Marc Ceccarelli took his position, and also functions as an executive producer. Hillenburg no longer wrote or ran the show on a day-to-day basis, but reviewed each episode and delivered suggestions. He said, "I figure when I'm pretty old I can still paint. I don't know about running shows." In November 2004, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, and the rest of the crew confirmed that they had completed four new episodes for broadcast on Nickelodeon in early 2005, and planned to finish about 20 total for the then-fourth season. In particular, Kenny said, "Kids were happy watching them for the 3,000th time. It was the parents who've been busting my chops for new episodes." He remarked that it would be "the same show, the same sponge". On May 6, 2005, the season premiered with the episodes "Fear of a Krabby Patty" and "Shell of a Man". "Fear of a Krabby Patty" was the first episode to be broadcast after the show's intermission. It was written by C.H. Greenblatt and Paul Tibbitt, while Alan Smart served as animation director. Animation was handled overseas in South Korea at Rough Draft Studios. Animation directors credited with episodes in the fourth season included Larry Leichliter, Andrew Overtoom, Smart, and Tom Yasumi. Episodes were written by a team of writers, which consisted of Casey Alexander, Steven Banks, Mike Bell, Luke Brookshier, Nate Cash, Zeus Cervas, Greenblatt, Tom King, Tim Hill, Kyle McCulloch, Dani Michaeli, Chris Mitchell, Mike Mitchell, Aaron Springer, Tibbitt, Vincent Waller, Tuck Tucker, and Erik Wiese. The storyboard directors for this season were Alexander, Bell, Brookshier, Cash, Cervas, Greenblatt, King, Chris Mitchell, Springer, Tuck Tucker, Brad Vandergrift, Waller, and Wiese. Cast The fourth season featured Tom Kenny as the voice of the title character SpongeBob SquarePants and his pet snail Gary. SpongeBob's best friend, a starfish named Patrick Star, was voiced by Bill Fagerbakke, while Rodger Bumpass played the voice of Squidward Tentacles, an arrogant and ill-tempered octopus. Other members of the cast were Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, a miserly crab obsessed with money who is SpongeBob's boss at the Krusty Krab; Mr. Lawrence as Plankton, a small green copepod and Mr. Krabs' business rival; Jill Talley as Karen, Plankton's sentient computer sidekick; Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel from Texas; Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff, SpongeBob's boating school teacher; and Lori Alan as Pearl, a teenage whale who is Mr. Krabs' daughter. In addition to the regular cast members, episodes feature guest voices from a range of professions, including actors, musicians, and artists. For instance, in the episode "Have You Seen This Snail?", American comedian and actress Amy Poehler guest starred as the voice of Grandma, a sweet old woman who adopted Gary after he ran away. Musician Stew also appeared as a voice, performing the song "Gary, Come Home". Show writer C.H. Greenblatt made an appearance in the episode "Selling Out" as Carl. Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway returned in the episode "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture", reprising their roles as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, respectively. Brian Doyle-Murray reprised his role as the Flying Dutchman for "Ghost Host". In "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired", English actor Robin Sachs voiced Sergeant Sam Roderick, a driving instructor who took over Mrs. Puff in teaching SpongeBob. Christopher Ryan, Nigel Planer and Rik Mayall appeared in the episode "Chimps Ahoy" as Sandy's bosses—Professor Percy, Dr. Marmalade and Lord Reginald, respectively. In the entry "Karate Island", Happy Days and The Karate Kid actor Pat Morita guest starred as Master Udon, a scammer who kidnaps SpongeBob to make him buy real estate. Note: Click on the various characters under "Guest Stars" to reveal a character's voice actor or actress. Morita died on November 24, 2005 from kidney failure at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the May 2006 episode was dedicated to Morita's memory. Reception The season was critically acclaimed by media critics and fans. Paul Mavis of DVD Talk gave both of the season's volumes 4½ stars. The episodes "Fear of a Krabby Patty" and "Shell of a Man" were nominated at the 57th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour), but lost to South Park s "Best Friends Forever". The show was also nominated at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards for the same category for the episodes "Bummer Vacation" and "Wigstruck". At the 33rd Annie Awards, C.H. Greenblatt, Paul Tibbitt, Mike Bell and Tim Hill won for Best Writing in an Animated Television Production for the episode "Fear of a Krabby Patty". "Fear of a Krabby Patty" won for a Special Award at the 2005 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. At the 2006 Golden Reel Awards, the episode "Have You Seen This Snail?" was nominated for Best Sound Editing in Television: Animated. The show itself received several recognition, including the three Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Cartoon from 2005 to 2007. It also received a nomination at the 21st TCA Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming, but lost to Degrassi: The Next Generation, and at the 23rd TCA Awards for the same category. However, the series did not win. Episodes The episodes are ordered below by production number and not their original broadcast order. |episodes= | DirectedBy = Alan Smart | WrittenBy = | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-401 | Viewers = 2.60 | ShortSummary = After seeing Plankton's tactic of keeping the Chum Bucket open for 23 hours, Mr. Krabs decides to keep the Krusty Krab open 24/7. Eventually, SpongeBob suffers a mental breakdown and becomes afraid of Krabby Patties due to the nonstop work. Plankton pretends to be a psychiatrist, naming himself Dr. Peter Lankton in order to treat SpongeBob's phobia, and in turn get the Krabby Patty secret formula. Much to Plankton's dismay, SpongeBob stays asleep during a hypnosis session, where he overcomes his phobia in a dream, and goes back to the Krusty Krab fully rehabilitated. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | DirectedBy = Tom Yasumi | WrittenBy = | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-402 | Viewers = 2.60 | ShortSummary = Mr. Krabs is going to a Naval reunion, but he moults his shell right before the event. So SpongeBob attempts to impersonate Mr. Krabs by wearing the recently molted shell. At the reunion, everything is going well, until SpongeBob has to fight one of Mr. Krabs' buddies and the shell breaks in the process. The real Mr. Krabs comes out and tells the truth, but to the surprise of him and SpongeBob, Mr. Krabs' old buddies had secrets to hide themselves. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-406 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Mr. Krabs is having trouble sleeping on his old mattress, so Patrick and SpongeBob buy him a new one and Squidward takes the credit. Unbeknownst to them, Mr. Krabs' money was in the mattress because he doesn't trust banks. Mr. Krabs ends up in the hospital suffering from a "cash coma", leaving SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward to retrieve it from the nearby dump; and Squidward will go to jail if Krabs doesn't come out. After a few encounters with a guard worm, they retrieve the mattress and Mr. Krabs is awakened from his coma. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-403 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = After slipping on a wet floor while trying to steal a Krabby Patty, Plankton fakes a serious injury and sues Mr. Krabs, asking for the Krabby Patty Formula in his lawsuit. SpongeBob is forced to defend him after the same floor injures Mr. Krabs' high-priced lawyer. SpongeBob spends most of the trial trying to open a briefcase, but what's in it can help Mr. Krabs win the case. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-404 | Viewers = 7.93 | ShortSummary = SpongeBob takes the "Dirty Bubble Challenge" with his new paddleball set and neglects Gary in the process, which causes him to run away and be adopted by a senile old fish who mistakes him for her snail. While the woman seems gentle, she overfeeds Gary, who soon learns the old lady's bad history with snails. Guest stars: Amy Poehler as The Old Lady, Stew | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-407 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Mr. Krabs purchases a skill crane for the Krusty Krab. SpongeBob wins something from the machine every time he inserts a quarter, while Squidward loses every time. This drives Squidward insane, and soon he puts all of his money, as well as the deed to his house, into the machine, trying to beat it. When SpongeBob tells him the secret to winning, Squidward finally wins something, a hairless teddy bear. His constant bragging soon gets the better of him though. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-408 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = It's Sunday, and Squidward just wants to relax for his only day off. He has a pedicure scheduled for later in the afternoon, but SpongeBob and Patrick keep thwarting his plans and spoiling his day by inaugurating him as the unwilling president of a Good Neighbor organization. When Squidward is taken to the hospital by a couple who thinks he's sick, SpongeBob and Patrick end up getting his pedicure, infuriating him into setting up a new security system in his home. Eventually, things get out of hand when Squidward's house comes to life and attacks Bikini Bottom. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-409 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Mr. Krabs sells the Krusty Krab to a franchise restaurateur and retires, leaving SpongeBob and Squidward with an over-peppy new manager and a new way of business. The new manager renames the Krusty Krab to "Krabby O' Mondays". Mr. Krabs, bored of retirement, takes a job as a busboy at the Krabby O' Mondays, but is shocked at the changes, especially to the Krabby Patties, now made with synthetic gray glop. Mr. Krabs then destroys Krabby O' Mondays, buying it back, and gets SpongeBob and Squidward their original jobs back. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-410 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Squidward tricks SpongeBob into thinking he broke his "laugh box" after he is annoyed by his laughter one too many times. Concerned, SpongeBob attempts not to laugh for an entire day, and although he succeeds, he finds he cannot laugh anymore the next morning. He cries profusely until Squidward admits that he fooled him. Squidward then blows his laugh box out while laughing at his attempt to fool SpongeBob. SpongeBob gives half of his laugh box to Squidward, causing him to laugh like SpongeBob. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-412 | Viewers = 8.60 | ShortSummary = After a jousting accident, SpongeBob and Patrick go back in time to restore peace to a kingdom in peril: a medieval Bikini Bottom. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-414 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Plankton falls in love with Mr. Krabs' mother and begins to date her. When Mr. Krabs finds out, he tries to convince his mother that Plankton is only after the Krabby Patty secret formula, but Mama Krabs orders her son to stay out of her personal affairs. Mr. Krabs painfully obliges, until Plankton decides to pop the question. The next day, Plankton asks Mama Krabs to marry him, and Mr. Krabs tries to stop him. When she says no, Plankton asks for the secret formula, and Mama Krabs beats him up. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-411 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = After seeing a preview of a Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy film that will not include the real heroes, SpongeBob and Patrick set out to make their own film, using the real Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, and with Pearl in a starring role. They also recruit some of their friends to help out, but run into many setbacks. Finally, SpongeBob and Patrick present their movie at the Krusty Krab and the fan club attends. The end result is a poorly edited, 1-minute long, low-quality film that disappoints fans of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, but the heroes themselves are quite proud of it regardless. Guest appearances: Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-415 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = After falling off a cliff, Patrick's intelligence increases significantly. SpongeBob wants Patrick to play with him but he finds SpongeBob childish and declines, and befriends with Squidward and Sandy instead. However, Patrick misses being SpongeBob's friend so he jumps off the cliff again, and he and SpongeBob find out that he landed in a brain coral field. Patrick gets his own head back and becomes his normal, dumb self again. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-416 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = On the eve of Squidward's big clarinet recital, he and SpongeBob are accidentally morphed together by Sandy's teleportation device. Daily life proves to be difficult for them when they are fused together. During Squidward's clarinet recital, their disguise falls off and everybody becomes amazed at how they are morphed together, but Sandy spoils the moment by sending the two back to their original form with her Molecular Separator Ray. Squidward, wanting to be famous again, tries to reverse the device by tampering with it, and ends up fusing himself with SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, Pearl and Mrs. Puff into a grotesque flesh-colored blob. He then goes to a therapy session in this new form, now more miserable than ever. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-417 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Due to his high hotel bill, Mr. Krabs believes hotels to be a gold mine and opens Krusty Towers, including a motto that says that guests must never be denied any of their requests (plagiarizing the motto from the other hotel). When Patrick checks in, Mr. Krabs orders Squidward to cater to his every whim, no matter how ridiculous it is. When Squidward finally has enough, he quits and comes back...as a guest! Now the tables are turned as Squidward's unreasonable demands force Mr. Krabs to regret his motto. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-418 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Mrs. Puff is fired after SpongeBob fails his driving test again, and is replaced by a drill sergeant whose methods are uncommon. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-419 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = After his ship crashes and he is forced to live at SpongeBob's, the Flying Dutchman comes to the realization he is no longer scary. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-426 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Sandy's benefactors from the surface threaten to pull her from the treedome if she cannot come up with an invention, and SpongeBob and Patrick decide to help her. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-423 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Pearl is turning 16, and warns Mr. Krabs not to give her a cheap party and gifts, like in the past. Mr. Krabs sends SpongeBob out with a credit card to buy presents for Pearl, and she turns out to love her party and gifts in the end. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-421 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = SpongeBob wins an all-expenses-paid trip to "Karate Island", run by a real estate scammer who kidnaps him and forces Sandy to save him. Guest appearance: Pat Morita as Master Udon. Note: This episode is dedicated to Morita, who died before the episode aired. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-422 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = While preparing a Monster Krabby Patty, SpongeBob's spatula snaps loose and he needs another one. SpongeBob cries and invests all his money (and his own clothes) for a fancy hi-tech spatula. The mechanical spatula then refuses to do the job of a regular spatula, and then it runs away. The episode ends with his beloved spatula (which had recovered from its injuries) flipping some Krabby Patties. SpongeBob yet had to face another Monster Krabby Patty, this time snapping his arms but he laughs at them without pain. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-420 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Mr. Krabs has SpongeBob and Squidward dig a wishing well in another moneymaking scheme. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-425 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Plankton says he is giving up on his many tries to steal the Krabby Patty formula to turn the Chum Bucket into a store, and even renames the Chum Bucket to The Chumporium. But Mr. Krabs is smart not to believe him, certain that it is just another one of Plankton's schemes to get the secret formula. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-424 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = A rabid Gary bites Squidward due to a splinter that infects him, but Patrick tells everyone that it is "Mad Snail Disease", causing the whole town to panic. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-427 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = SpongeBob is forced to take his vacation days at work but cannot accept that. When Patrick is hired as his temporary replacement, SpongeBob goes crazy and tries to get back to his favorite place, only to be kicked out by Mr. Krabs every time. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-428 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = SpongeBob begins wearing an old ratty wig around town to the ridicule of others, except for Sandy, who politely tries to persuade him to take it off. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-431 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = SpongeBob and Patrick cause Squidward to swallow his clarinet reed and they must retrieve it. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-430 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = After misinterpreting a salesman's pitch as a death threat, Patrick disguises himself as a woman and immediately becomes the center of attention in Bikini Bottom. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-429 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = After Squidward's day is ruined yet again by SpongeBob and Patrick while he is trying to watch public television, he rides his bike into a cement mixer and emerges as a hideous-looking, unusual creature that SpongeBob and Patrick adopt. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-432 | Viewers = }} | ShortSummary = SpongeBob thinks he accidentally turned Squidward into an ice cream cone with a magic set. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-434 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Patrick successfully passes his driving exam and it goes to his head, which makes SpongeBob very envious. Patrick repeatedly rubs his license on SpongeBob's face, causing SpongeBob to lose his temper. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-433 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Patrick is revealed to have descended from King Amoeba and is thus now King of Bikini Bottom. Greedy, he quickly becomes tyrannical and power-abusive until he realises it and it is later revealed that in fact Gary is the true king. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-437 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = SpongeBob finds a patch from a biker's jacket in Jellyfish Fields of a biker club he encounters and immediately becomes frightened. Believing that the biker club is called "The Wild Ones" and that they are heading to attack Bikini Bottom, he and Patrick attempt to dress as tougher bikers themselves hoping to save the town. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-436 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = After a smoothie stand selling "kelpshakes" opens near the Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket, Plankton and Mr. Krabs work together to stop it. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-440 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = There is a migration of many exotic jellyfish species. SpongeBob and Patrick bring their nets to catch them. However, SpongeBob's jellyfish net is missing and he thinks Patrick stole it. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | DirectedBy = Andrew Overtoom | WrittenBy = | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-438 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = After Squidward won't play with him, SpongeBob makes a miniature wooden puppet version of Squidward that becomes much more popular than the actual Squidward. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 151-507 | Viewers = 6.70 | ShortSummary = SpongeBob wants to have the best day ever. He keeps a list of pastimes, including working at the Krusty Krab, jellyfishing, karate, and watching Squidward perform. However, several problems that occur prevent him from doing them. | LineColor = FFB072 }} | OriginalAirDate = | ProdCode = 5574-439 | Viewers = | ShortSummary = Patrick gives SpongeBob a huge wad of bubble gum on Best Friends' Day. | LineColor = FFB072 }} }} DVD release The first ten episodes of the fourth season were released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment in the United States and Canada on September 12, 2006. The "Volume 1" DVD release features bonus material including animatics and featurettes. The remaining ten episodes of the season were also released under the title "Volume 2" in the United States and Canada on January 9, 2007. The DVD release also features bonus material including music videos, shorts and featurettes. In Region 2 and 4, the DVD release for the season was a complete set. On November 13, 2012, The Complete Fourth Season DVD was released in Region 1, five years after the season had completed broadcast on television. Notes References External links *https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206512/episodes?season=4 at IMDb *Season 4 at TV.com *Season 4 at Metacritic Category:2005 American television seasons Category:2006 American television seasons Category:2007 American television seasons Category:SpongeBob SquarePants seasons